


A Conversation Well Needed

by TheoDoes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cooking, Cute, M/M, Multi, bokuakakurotsuki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheoDoes/pseuds/TheoDoes
Summary: Bokuto has had some things on his mind and accidentally lets it out when he's alone with Akaashi.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 10
Kudos: 148





	A Conversation Well Needed

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in a while so I hope this can do. I'm back to watching and reading a lot of Haikyuu.

“Don’t let Bokuto burn down the apartment while we’re gone,” Tsukishima said. He says it to the wall as he waits for Kuroo to get ready to leave. Tsukishima and Kuroo are getting ready to go to the store and go on a quick get-away for the day. Bokuto is still in the bathroom getting ready and he stops brushing to pout at Tsukishima’s comment. He pokes his head out of the bathroom doorway. Kei feels his stare and smirks. Bokuto frowns and goes back to his brushing, examining his hair in the mirror. He hears footsteps approaching, but ignores to lean over to spit out the remnants in his mouth and rinse out his mouth. 

Without any warning, his body freezes over as a warm hand is placed on his lower back. He looks up at the mirror as he leans back up. “Kei, you scared the shit out of me,” Bokuto whined, not turning to the blonde. 

“Have fun with Keiji today,” Tsukki plants a soft, quick kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. Bokuto blushes, no matter how many times he’s been kissed by him, and nods, returning a kiss to his lips. Tsukishima leaves with a smile and goes to head out the door. 

With more goodbyes, the front door finally closes and Akaashi heads to the bedroom. Too bad he’s stopped by two big arms around his waist. “Heading back to bed already?” Bokuto mutters against Akaashi’s neck. 

The shorter mixes together a soft groan and a laugh, turning around to face his eager partner. “I didn’t expect to eat that much breakfast. Blame Tetsurou, he always leaves me in a food coma.,” he touches Bokuto’s cheek, pouting. He can't help but agree, leaning in to kiss him. Keiji’s arms naturally wrap around Bokuto’s neck, pulling him in closer. Bokuto’s head tilts and his hands get under his boyfriend’s shirt, rubbing his waist and back carefully, pushing him against the wall. 

“Koutarooouuu…” Akaashi pulls away, playing with the end’s of his white hair, sighing against his ear as Bokuto leaned down to plant slow kisses against his neck. “Koutarou, is that the only thing you can think about doing right now?”

“Maybe. Also, you’re always so cute in the morning.”

He rolls his eyes and smiles, hugging Bokuto closer as they share the embrace. “I got some stuff to do today, maybe I can get you to help me out.” 

“Like what?” Bokuto curiously tilts his head, looking down at Akaashi. 

“Oh, you know; cleaning, organizing, work.” 

“You’re always keeping yourself busy, huh?” Akaashi nods in response, planting a slow kiss to his lips. He pulls away, leaving Bokuto wanting more. Akaashi slips out of his captor’s arms to go to the bedroom, starting to talk about his workload he has to deal with in the upcoming week. 

No matter what Akaashi talks about, Bokuto follows, listens, nods, and sometimes interjects with comments or questions. Keiji’s voice is soft and his brain seems to still be waking up, so he often gets distracted, amusing Bokuto more times than it should. 

Bokuto takes his usual spot on the bed as he watches the other get dressed, the familiar hum of the computer turning on fills the room. He swings his legs behind him like a middle school girl talking about her crush. Akaashi doesn’t fail to notice this and smiles, shaking his head. He finally takes his usual spot in his chair, facing Bokuto. Hours seem to always slip up between the duo’s hands, but no one complains and it’s a nice, quiet environment. Well, except for Bokuto’s snores when Akaashi gets too into his work to multi-task. Another smile creeps on his lips as he examines the sleeping man’s face, secretly and desperately wishing he could join him. 

\----

Bokuto watches his meal in the microwave turn. He looks over to the whiteboard/corkboard near the fridge. Important receipts, menus, dates, hearts scribbled, and cute notes dominate the whole space, occasionally a piece of paper of each household member’s names are posted, listed with errands and tasks to do. More than likely, it’s Akaashi and Tsukishima’s planning to keep the apartment from going into complete chaos. He walks over to the board, checking for anything new. He taps his fingers against the wall, reading over sweet-to-the-core love messages (usually either written by your’s truly or Kuroo). Near the bottom right corner, he spots a new note, in red marker. 

_“Don’t burn the apartment down, Bo <3 Otherwise, time-out corner again”_

Bokuto smiles, looking down at his feet. Time-out corner was established a couple of years ago, after being in this same apartment for a month or so. Bokuto, unknowingly, started to heat up foil that was wrapped around a much-needed burrito. Tsukki quickly noticed and stopped it before anything else could happen. That was an early one though. The second time was when he had a hair straightener on and accidentally put it on top of a piece of paper. It started a very small fire, but a fire is a fire. Jokingly, the four of them have already created a time-out corner but it was more serious now since little mishaps continued. Although it calmed down after a few months, Bokuto still feels guilty whenever he makes the slightest mistake. Whenever Kuroo would light random stuff on fire (don’t ask), he never got parented or talked to like Bokuto would. Or when Tsukishima’s dishes come out more burnt or when he dropped stuff on the floor in the kitchen, like a tea cup he was washing. Everyone seems to be a little harsh, but Bokuto understands it. He’s never brought up his feelings though. 

He grabs a marker nearby and writes on the board, drawing a little him (a poorly done one, but you’d know it’s supposed to be him). _“:C I wont!!!”_ WWhen he puts the cap back on the marker, he notices something. “God…….dammit….” he mutters, sighing as he stares at _“Permanent Marker”_. The words seem to be taunting him. _I’ll fix it up later_ , he thinks. If he remembers. 

He is reminded later when Akaashi goes to clean the board, Bokuto earning a pout. 

\--- 

A knife clashes against the kitchen counter, a short yelp of pain and a mumbled curse escapes from Bokuto’s mouth. He frowns, bringing up his middle finger to his mouth to softly suck on the blood. After making a face of disgust, he brings himself to the sink and runs his hand underwater. 

“What happened?” Akaashi calls out, looking up from his laptop for the first time in a while. 

“Don’t worry about it, Kej, I got it.” 

Koutarou is preparing dinner. He isn’t the best, but it’s better than what Tsukishima can whip up. With some guidance from a website, videos, and Akaashi’s help, it seems to be going well so far. Well, except for the cut finger. Bokuto glances over to the cutting board of vegetables, pouting his lips exaggeratedly. This seems to catch his boyfriend’s attention. He leans back in his chair, “Did you cut your finger?” 

Bokuto sighs and nods defeatedly, “Do you mind taking over so the beef doesn’t overcook?” Akaashi is quick and closes his laptop, sliding behind Bokuto to continue his work. Bokuto leaves the kitchen to head to the bathroom, looking around for the adhesive bandages. He sighs, loudly and dramatically so that Akaashi can take notice. 

“The bandages are in the little pantry, second shelf above the toilet!” 

Bokuto follows the directions and spots them. Once again, he washes his finger and waits till it’s dry to get a bandage on. There’s a choice: Hello Kitty, neon colors, or cats. He thinks for a while, maybe too hard. In the end, he picks cats. The faces of adorable kittens seem to mock him after he successfully gets it on his cut. He stares at it, wondering. Thinking about every instance of being kicked out of the kitchen, being pouted and parented at. It’s cute and thoughtful, he thinks, but he leans against the bathroom wall, remembering the other cuts he’s gotten around his hands and arms. They seem to show on his skin, all over. Luckily he’s just imaging them, but it feels too real. He remembers, from the large selection, of the ones he got from a cat. 

He was out with Tsukishima that day, walking around during the first few days of spring. He reached out and squatted near a kitten, but was scratched. Bokuto’s arm retracts and apologizes hurriedly (to the cat obviously), groaning as he stands back up and gets scolded. 

_“But they were so…….cute, Tsukki. How could I not???”_ Bokuto tries to tell the snickering one over his shoulder. 

_“It was very tempting, but I’m not that oblivious to stray, random cats on the street. Please be more careful next time, Koutarou,”_ Tsukishima pats his back. There’s stiffness with it, Bokuto feels and worries the others when they get home. They get him to a doctor just in case to check if Bokuto got anything from the kitten. In the end, Bokuto was only left with -- admittedly -- badass scratches on the back of his left hand for a couple of weeks. 

“BOKUTO,” Akaashi calls out, snapping him out of thought. “You okay in there?” 

He checks himself in the mirror before throwing the trash away, leaving with freshly-washed hands. He’s quick to catch up to Akaashi, seeing that he’s done well since he took his absence. “Sorry, I...didn’t know which one to wear,” he shows off his bandage to Keiji. They both share a smile, Bokuto mumbling something under his breath. 

“Huh?” 

“I’m sorry for..getting cut again. Thanks for saving my ass.” 

Akaashi nods, “Don’t worry about it. Kuroo cut himself the other night. He says it was my fault because I was wearing “cute shorts”.” 

“I mean….” Bokuto laughs, leaning against the counter next to his boyfriend, “I’d be distracted too if you walked around with those on all of the time.” 

“Bokuto, stop being horny,” Akaashi chuckles, glaring at him. “I didn’t have my good lounge pants ready. I had to wear something.” 

Just before Bokuto can come up with something, he thinks back to what was written on the board. Although it’s replaced with _“Grocery lists updated, get by this Thursday”_ and _“I could never wish for better people in my life”,_ he still thinks of earlier. The room falls silent, except for the stove-tops working all full-force. Bokuto tries to get Akaashi to hand him the utensils so he can continue. Instead, he’s instructed to clean up the rest of the kitchen and check if Kuroo or Tsukishima have sent a text of their arrival. Bokuto’s head seems to be heavier as he cleans around, being a little more aware of his surroundings. It’s not like he’s bad at being aware, not that bad. Years of volleyball and practice he gets in now, it shows that he knows his way around and navigates well. However, it can seem different when in the comfort of his own home. This distracts Bokuto again, missing the trashcan a little and spilling some chopped onions on the floor. He cleans it up quickly, hearing a giggle from above him. He straightens up, met with Akaashi’s hand on his chest. “Thank you for cooking dinner,” he says, kissing his cheek. 

“Eeeh, it’s nothin’. You finished it though,” Bokuto blushes childishly. 

“You did most of the work, Kou. Don’t put yourself down like that. It tastes great.” 

“But I’m the one with a cut finger,” he feels the need to remind him, bringing up his hand. 

“Don’t try to take away credit.” 

“I always mess things up.” 

This catches Akaashi by surprise. They don’t meet each other’s eyes. Before he can say something, Bokuto returns to the kitchen, looking over the dishes made, and decides to take a quick taste of everything, humming in delight. 

“Honey..” Akaashi mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. He’s tense, yet trying to be open. He ignores this though, checking and letting him know that Kuroo and Tsukki should be here in 15 minutes or so. Akaashi repeats himself, earning a quick glance from Bokuto. “Honey. Please, tell me what you said earlier.” 

“It’s nothing.” 

“It is something. Bokuto--Koutarou,” Akaashi sighs. “Is there something you need to talk about?” 

“It’ll be brushed off,” Bokuto checks to see if the oven or the stovetops are still on. He fiddles with the drawer knob nervously, looking down at his feet. 

“I’m here to listen. Why do you feel that way?” 

“Is it really that hard to understand?” 

“Kou, cutting your finger is a common thing that happens--” 

Bokuto cuts him off, “Not just that, Keiji. I always cut my fingers, break stuff, get distracted, sleep, be put in time-out, get constantly told and pushed away from doing things, talked down to--” 

Hurt washes over Akaashi’s face. He lets his boyfriend continue though. It’s hard to. 

“I get it: I fuck up sometimes, but it hasn’t been that bad. Not like when we all first started living together. Not like how I was back in high school. I still mess up now, but I never get treated… I never feel like a child as much as I do here than I do with my other friends or my teammates,” He looks up to meet Akaashi. Who knows how long he’s been staring at him. They don’t say anything. Bokuto looks at his phone on the counter near him. The others should be coming soon. He looks back up, watching Akaashi get closer. He finally looks down. 

“I’m so sorry… That you’ve… That we’ve left you feeling this way,” Akaashi rubbed his arm. 

Bokuto wants to escape, wishes to turn back time to not bring this up. On the other hand, it’s something that he’s wanted to bring up for so long. It hurts. He flinches as his hand is cupped in both of Akaashi’s. His bandaged hand is brought up to Akaashi’s face, rubbing his thumbs into his palm. He keeps his gaze there for the time being. If he could, Bokuto would just melt into his boyfriend’s arm, combust under his touch. Instead, he says, “I like the funny little notes and reminders you guys repeat… The _“make sure to check for any sneaky forks in the takeout containers before warming up food”_ , _“make sure lit candles are blown out before bedtime, and don’t let Kou check”_ and whatnot, but it’s starting to get to me more now than before. It helps me, I’m telling you, but it could be…” He groans, feeling like he’s running his mouth, not making sense. 

Akaashi nods slowly, bringing up the taller one’s hand to his mouth. He looks to Bokuto after touching his hand to his forehead, kissing his knuckles slowly before holding it tight. “I never intended to make you feel less than what you are. I know you have responsibilities to be done and taken outside of the home and it can seem cluttered with three other people in the house, but it doesn’t give any of us a right to treat you like that. I’ve seen a lot of progress other the years living and being with you, but I guess we all just want to make sure you don’t hurt yourself. We want you to be careful.” 

“I’m doing my best. It’s not like...Tetsurou, Kei, or you are perfect beings.” 

“We aren’t, and I never meant to make it feel like that we are. We never are. We make a lot of mistakes,” he mumbles against Bokuto’s hand, kissing it again. He turns it outwardly to get in his palm, leaving longing, soft kisses. They’re filled with love and hope. Bokuto blushes at the intimacy, seeing Akaashi close his eyes. He pulls him into an embrace, resting his head on his shoulder. 

“I hate seeing you like this. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry for never realizing how you feel,” Akaashi mumbled in his chest. “You’re getting better at hiding your feelings, and it hurts.” 

“I don’t want to stress too many people out.” 

“I want to help you.” 

“...Thank you.” 

They pull away after some sniffles and tears were exchanged. It feels good to let it out. Akaashi examines Bokuto’s face, cupping his face and bringing him into a kiss. Bokuto has no reason to reject. He kisses back, still feeling bad for making Akaashi cry. Before Akaashi could deepen the kiss any further, a sudden shock of dread and excitement fills his body. “B-Bokuto!” 

Bokuto’s hands are at Akaashi’s sides, but not in a loving way. _It’s time for war_ , Akaashi thinks. 

“You’re seriously going to tickle me?” 

“Yeah, what are you going to do about it?” Bokuto smirks. Akaashi takes this as a challenge, reaching for his partner’s tickle spot. He’s stopped, however, by being picked up and tickled mercilessly. He shrieks, filling the apartment with noise again.Groaning loudly,, Akaashi is begging through his laughs for Koutarou to stop. Yanking his hair doesn’t help, it makes it worse. Bokuto roars in laughter and leans Keiji against the sink, mixing in his tickles with slow, passionate kisses to Akaashi’s neck. Akaashi calms down, catching his breath and lightening up on his grip against Bokuto. As a gasp escapes from the smaller man’s mouth, Bokuto kisses up to his cheek, sealing it finally with a chaste kiss. They both seem to hum along, their hands bringing each other in. 

“Ew, in front of the food?” A voice comes from behind them. 

Bokuto pulls away and looks over Akaashi, seeing Tsukishima stick out his tongue with his finger pointed towards his mouth. Kuroo encourages the two to continue. Akaashi takes it and brings his boyfriend back into a kiss. Kuroo and Tsukishima look at each other, smiling before bringing all the stuff in from their little shopping adventure, with more bags than what was expected. Akaashi definitely got to talk to them about it after dinner was started, food passed around and the atmosphere lightened up. 

“You really outdid yourself, Kou,” Kuroo hummed pleasantly, already going to get his third plate of food. Akaashi stops him though. 

“I’m really impressed. You cooked the beef and vegetables perfectly,” Akaashi comments. Tsukki agrees whole-heartedly. 

The praise gets to Koutarou, leaving him flushed and feeling the heat crawling across his face. “And only left with one cut,” he smiles. The others smile, continuing to eat. Bokuto stares at his bandage again but keeps eating. 

Kei, who’s on Bokuto’s left, squeezes his free hand under the table. They both share a glance before Bokuto puts down his utensil. This calls the other two to look up. Akaashi and Bokuto share a glance, nods exchanged. 

“There’s, uh… something I’ve been meaning to talk about,” he starts.


End file.
